Orion SkyQuest IntelliScope XT10, SkyQuest IntelliScope XT8, SkyQuest IntelliScope XT6, 9182, 9183 Instruction Manual

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

Orion®

SkyQuest

XT6, XT8, XT10

#9182, #9183, #9184

™

IntelliScope®

Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975

Customer Support [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

Corporate Offices [phone]

89 Hangar Way, Watsonville CA 95076

IN 226 Rev. G 06/08

Secondary mirror holder with 4-vane spider
(not visible)

Navigation knob

Finder scope

Finder scope bracket

Eyepiece

Focuser

Optical tube

Tensioning knob

IntelliScope Controller

Port modular jack

Retaining knob (opposite side)

Computerized Object Locator (optional)

Right side panel

Eyepiece rack

Front brace

Handle

Top baseplate

Ground baseplate

Figure 1. The SkyQuest XT8 IntelliScope

Primary mirror cell

Left side panel

Foot (3)

2

Congratulations on your purchase of an Orion SkyQuest XT IntelliScope Dobsonian. It is a high-perfor­mance astronomical instrument designed to provide dazzling views of celestial objects and unprecedented
ease of use. With the addition of the optional IntelliScope Computerized Object Locator (Controller), you
gain the ability to locate and view thousands of celestial objects with the push of a button. Searching for
objects is a thing of the past, as the IntelliScope’s high-resolution digital encoders find them for you — in
seconds. It’s so easy!

Even if you decide not to purchase the optional IntelliScope Controller, your SkyQuest telescope will
provide years of stargazing enjoyment, thanks to its large-aperture, precision optics; its innovative, user­friendly design; and its complement of outstanding features and accessories. We hope you enjoy your
journey through the universe!

Please read these instructions thoroughly before beginning assembly and subsequent use of the telescope.

Table of Contents

1. Unpacking........................ 3

2. Assembly ........................ 4

3. Using Your Telescope ............... 8

4. Alignment (Collimation) of the

Optical System ................... 12

5. Astronomical Observing ............ 14

6. Optional IntelliScope Computerized

Object Location................... 17

7. Care and Maintenance .............17

8. Specifications .................... 19

WARNING: Never look directly at the Sun
through your telescope or its finder scope—even
for an instant—without a professionally made
solar filter that completely covers the front of
the instrument, or permanent eye damage could
result. Young children should use this telescope
only with adult supervision.

1. Unpacking

The telescope is packed in two boxes, one containing the
optical tube assembly and accessories, the other containing
the unassembled Dobsonian base. Be careful unpacking the
boxes. We recommend keeping the original shipping contain­ers. In the event that the telescope needs to be shipped to
another location, or returned to Orion for warranty repair, hav­ing the proper shipping containers will help ensure that your
telescope will survive the journey intact.

Make sure all the parts in the Parts List are present. Be sure
to check boxes carefully, as some parts are small. If anything
appears to be missing or broken, immediately call Orion
Customer Support (800-676-1343) or email sales@telescope.
com for assistance.

Parts List

Box #1: Optical Tube Assembly and Accessories

Qty. Description

1 Optical tube assembly

1 Dust cover

1 25mm Sirius Plössl eyepiece, 1.25" barrel diameter

1 10mm Sirius Plössl eyepiece, 1.25" barrel diameter

1 9x50 Right-angle correct-image finder scope (6x30
for the XT6)

1 Finder scope bracket with O-ring

1 Collimation cap

1 4-Hole eyepiece rack (3-hole for XT6)

2 Eyepiece rack mounting wood screws (length 3/4")

2 Tensioning/Retaining knobs

1 Tensioning knob nylon washer (white)

1 Tensioning knob metal washer

1 Nylon retaining knob spacer (black)

1 Handle

2 Handle mounting hex-head screws

2 Handle mounting screw washers

1 Crescent wrench

1 Azimuth encoder board

1 Encoder connector board

1 Encoder disk

Box #2: Dobsonian Base

Qty Description

1 Left panel

1 Right panel

1 Front brace

1 Top baseplate

1 Ground baseplate

12 Base assembly wood screws (length 2", black)

3

1 Hex key (size 4mm)

C

M

B

L

K

D

F

E

A

J

H

I

3 Plastic feet

3 Feet attachment wood screws (length 1")

5 Encoder board mounting wood screws

1 Brass bushing

1 Azimuth axis hex-head screw (length 2.25")

2 Fender washers (diameter 1")

1 Hex lock nut

4 Altitude bearing cylinders

4 Altitude bearing cylinder screws (length 1.5", black)

1 Vertical stop knob

1

3 Flat washers (2x

(Please note: Unless otherwise specified, all images and pic­tures in this manual are of the SkyQuest XT8.)

/16" thick, 1x1/32" thick)

Assembly of the Dobsonian Base

Refer to Figure 2 during base assembly. The base need only
be assembled once, unless you disassemble it for long-term
storage. The assembly process takes about 45 minutes and
requires, in addition to the supplied tools, a Phillips screw­driver, and two adjustable crescent wrenches. You can
substitute a 7/16" crescent wrench for one of the adjustable
crescent wrenches, or use a pair of pliers.

The azimuth encoder board and other encoder items should
be installed, even if you do not plan to use the optional
Computerized Object Locator. The smooth motion of the tele­scope depends on the installation of these parts.

When tightening screws, tighten them until firm, but be careful
not to strip the holes by over-tightening. If you use an electric
screwdriver, do final tightening with a standard screwdriver to
avoid stripping.

1. With a Phillips screwdriver, screw the plastic feet into the
underside of the ground baseplate (A) using the self-tap­ping wood screws provided. Insert the screws through the
feet and thread them into the predrilled starter holes.

2. Loosely attach the front brace (B) to the two side panels (C)
with six of the base assembly screws in the predrilled holes.
Use the 4mm hex wrench to tighten the screws. The side
panels should be oriented so the SkyQuest IntelliScope
labels are facing outward. The front brace should be orient­ed so the threaded insert is facing the interior of the base.
Do not completely tighten the screws yet.

3. Connect the two side panels (C) with the front brace
attached to the top baseplate (D) with the remaining six
base assembly screws in the predrilled holes. The side of
the baseplate with the pilot hole near the square-shaped
cutout should be facing downwards. Tighten all six screws
firmly.

Figure 2. Exploded view of the Dobsonian base.

2. Assembly

Now that you have unpacked the boxes and familiarized
yourself with all the parts in front of you, it’s time to begin
assembly. The optics of the telescope are already installed
in the tube, so most of the required assembly concerns the
Dobsonian base.

4

Encoder board
mounting screw

Figure 3. Installing the azimuth encoder board. Line up the large

hole in the encoder board with the central hole in the top baseplate.

4. Tighten the six side screws installed earlier.

5. Attach the azimuth encoder board (E) to the underside of
the top baseplate (D) (Figure 3). Insert the modular jack
on the encoder board into the square-shaped hole in the
baseplate and align the encoder board so that the small
slotted hole in the board lines up with the predrilled starter

Azimuth encoder board

hole, and the large hole lines up with the central hole in
the baseplate. Thread an encoder board mounting screw
into the predrilled starter hole with a Phillips screwdriver
and tighten until just tight.

6. Place one fender washer (H) onto the azimuth axis screw
(I). Then push the screw up through the hole in the ground
baseplate (A).Then slide the encoder disk (J), flat side
down, onto the azimuth axis screw.

7. Place the brass bushing (F) onto the azimuth axis screw
(I) so that the wide end of the bushing is closest to the
encoder disk (J). Seat the bushing onto the encoder disk
so that the registration feature on the bushing goes into
the hole in the encoder disk. You may need to move the
encoder disk around on the azimuth axis screw a bit in
order for the bushing to seat properly.

8. Carefully position the top baseplate (D) over the ground
baseplate (A) and lower it so the brass bushing (F) goes
into in the center hole of the top baseplate. Place the
remaining fender washer (K) onto the shaft of the azimuth
axis screw, then thread the hex lock nut (L) onto the end of
the azimuth axis screw and tighten it finger tight, for now.

9. To tighten the azimuth axis screw (I) and hex lock nut
(L), tilt the assembled Dobsonian base at a slight angle
to lift the ground baseplate off the ground. Now, with one
wrench (or pliers) hold the head of the azimuth axis screw
still while turning the hex lock nut with the other wrench.
Figure 4 shows this being done. Tighten the hex lock nut

a.

b.

Figure 4. To connect the baseplates, tilt them only slightly, as shown.

Do not place them on their side. (a) Use one wrench to hold the hex nut
steady (b) while turning the other end of the azimuth axis screw.

Correct Tension pads

Bearing
cylinders

Figure 5.

Attaching the bearing cylinders. (XT10 Shown)

just until the top fender washer is no longer moving freely,
then tighten the hex nut a 3/16-1/4 turn beyond that. This
ensures proper spacing between the encoder disk and the
azimuth encoder board.

10. Attach the handle (M) to the front brace (B) with the two
handle mounting hex-head screws. Place one washer on
each screw, then press the handle against the front brace
(the end of the handle with the logo should be up). Then
thread the screws from the inside of the base into the han­dle until tight using the supplied crescent wrench.

11. Line up one of the altitude bearing cylinders with the inside
of one of the four bearing cylinder holes on the side pan­els. Push a bearing cylinder screw through the side panel
and bearing cylinder. Then thread it into the built-in hex nut
on the cylinder with the included hex key (Figure 5). The
beveled end of the cylinder should be facing away from
the side panel. Repeat this for the remaining three bearing
cylinders.

12. Attach the encoder connector board to the side panel. Place
the board against the side panel so that the modular jack fits
into the square-shaped hole and thread four encoder board
mounting screws through the connector board and into the
predrilled holes in the side panel until tight (Figure 6).

There are some predrilled holes on the side panel opposite
the panel that holds the encoder connector board. These
holes will be used to mount parts that come with the option­al IntelliScope controller. If you purchased the IntelliScope
controller with your SkyQuest, you will want to follow the
installation instructions in the controller’s manual at this time.

Installing the Vertical Stop

Place the three flat washers onto the shaft of the vertical stop
screw. Thread the vertical stop into the threaded insert on the
inside of the front panel until tight (Figure 7). The position of
the vertical stop is adjustable by adding or removing wash­ers. This is important when using the optional IntelliScope
Computerized Object Locator, since the optical tube must be
exactly vertical during the two-star alignment procedure.

5

Encoder
connector
board

Screws

Figure 6. Attaching the encoder connector board. (XT10 Shown)

Installing the Eyepiece Rack

The aluminum eyepiece rack is a standard accessory on
SkyQuest IntelliScope Dobsonians. It holds three 1.25" eye­pieces and one 2" eyepiece (three 1.25" eyepieces on the
XT6) in a convenient place on the base, within easy reach
while you’re observing. A 1.25" barlow lens also can be held
in the rack. A few inches down from the top of the front brace
panel you will notice two predrilled starter holes, about 6"
apart. Thread the black wood screws into the starter holes
with a Phillips screwdriver. Then you can “keyhole” the eye­piece rack onto the wood screws and continue tightening the
screws (Figure 8). If you want to be able to remove the rack,
do not tighten the screws too tightly. Be certain that the screws
are loose enough that you can lift the rack and remove it from
the screws through the larger part of the keyhole. If you want
to have the rack permanently attached, tighten the screws.
You may find it easier to carry the base by the handle if the
eyepiece rack is removed.

Placing the Optical Tube on the Dobsonian Base

Lift the optical tube and gently place it into the Dobsonian
base so that the altitude bearings on either side of the tube
rest on the bearing cylinders. Orient the optical tube as shown
in Figure 9. Make certain that the optical tube does not get
hung up on the vertical bumper stop or the CorrecTension
pads as you put it in place. Be careful when placing the tube
on the bearings, since if it is inserted at the wrong angle the
hub can strike the encoder connector board and potentially

Figure 8. Using the two supplied screws, install the aluminum

eyepiece rack in the predrilled holes near the top of the front
baseplate.

damage it. Once on the bearing cylinders, the tube should
pivot freely up and down with gentle hand pressure. Note that
the tube will not yet be properly balanced, since the eyepiece
and finder scope are not in place, and the CorrecTension sys­tem has not been installed.

Figure 9. Lift the optical

tube and place it into the
Dobsonian base so that the
altitude bearings rest on the
bearing cylinders. Orient the
optical tube as shown. Do not
bump the encoder connector
board or vertical stop when
installing the optical tube.

Vertical Stop

Figure 7. The vertical stop

6

Installing the CorrecTension Friction
Optimization System

An exciting feature of the SkyQuest IntelliScope Dobsonian is
the redesigned CorrecTension (XT) system. Because of their
relatively light weight, smaller Dobsonians (under 16") have
always been plagued by insufficient friction on the altitude
bearing surfaces. As a result, such telescopes move up and
down much too freely. This causes problems when the observ­er tries to accurately center and track an object for viewing,
especially at higher powers. Also, the telescope becomes very
sensitive to balance, requiring additional equipment such as
counterweight systems or springs to compensate.